SPOTLIGHT: ED O'NEIL

KELLY'S BOYFRIENDS BEWARE!!!! ED HAS SOME NEW MOVES NOW!

Most people will recognize Ed as America’s favorite women’s shoe salesmen Al Bundy from Fox’s now legendary comedy show Married with Children or as Jay Prichett currently on ABC’s Modern Family. 

But unbeknown to many people, Ed has been training for over 17 years in BJJ and received his Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu from Rorion Gracie.

Ed getting the Black Belt from Rorion Gracie.

Ed got into BJJ after friend and director John Milius (Director of Conan The Barbarian) convinced him to join a training session. Ed admits that he was not very interested in the art, but Rorion asked Ed to get on the mats and attempt to knock Rorion off of the mount. Even though Ed was much larger than Rorion he was unable to knock him off of himself. Rorion ask Ed to keep him pinned in the mats as well, but Rorion, escape and swept Ed every time.

After that small lesson of a smaller man using technique to defeat a larger man, Ed signed up for lessons with Rorion and has been training ever since.

Ed has always been one of my favorite actors and I grew up watching Married with Children and now that I am a BJJ student I am glad to know that such an accomplished actor as Ed is a student as well, and is able to spread the benefits of the BJJ lifestyle, and at 66 years old Ed is still going strong and shows that it is never too late to step on the mats.

Now go out and Train like a Champion.